Switch resetting apparatus for multi-bank push button switches

ABSTRACT

A unitary reset linkage for a multiple-bank push button switch has a shaft and a plurality of associated levers to transmit latch bar motion from one bank of switches to another thereby to expedite clearing of the banks when switching from one bank to another.

[ 1 Dec. 11, 1973 United States Patent 1 Nocella SWITCH RESETTING APPARATUS FOR 200/5 EB 200/5 R X 200/5 R 3,646,283 2/l972 Hansen........................... MULTl-BANK PUSH BUTTON SWITCHES $678,288 7/1972 swam u 3 544,738 12/1970 Gaspar.......................... [75] Inventor: William F. Nocella, Philadelphia, Pa.

Honeywell Inc., Minneapolis, Minn. Jul 7, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 269,820

[73] Assignee:

Primary Examiner-J. R. Scott Attorney-Arthur H. Swanson et al.

[22] Filed:

ABSTRACT [S2] U.S. 200/5 R, 200/5 E, 200/18,

200/50 C H0lh 9/26 200/5 R, 5 E, 18,

[51] Int. Cl. A unitary reset linkage for a multiple-bank push button switch has a shaft and a plurality of associated levers to transmit latch bar motion from one bank of [58] Field of Search.............i.........

switches to another thereby to expedite clearing of the banks when switching from one bank to another.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,489,867 1/1970 Carlson..... 200/5 R 7 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED DEC 1 1 M5 FIG-.2 Ll .003

SWITCH RESETTING APPARATUS FOR MULTI-BANK PUSH BUTTON SWITCHES Prior to the present invention a reset push button was employed for each bank of switches to effect a reset action in that particular bank. With this arrangement it was therefore necessary to push in the reset button in a first bank of push buttons before another push button could be pushed in a second or any of the other remaining banks of push buttons that were available.

It has become very cumbersome and time consuming to shift between any one bank of push buttons and another due to the requirement to push in reset buttons to clear one bank of push button switches before switching to another switch in another bank of push buttons.-

Elimination of this time consuming operation is important in many different switching applications, particularly, in precision indicating instrumentation where the indication of each one of, for example, 48 or more different temperature measuring circuits or other types of variables are required to be cut in with this indicating instrument by alternately pushing in push button switches that are in a different adjacent parallel banks of switches.

Elimination of the resetting switches have been achieved by providing a linkage for transmitting the mechanical switch pushing in motion occurring in one bank of switches to the other remaining bank or banks of switches so that the pushing in of any one of the push buttons in a bank of push button switches will cause the automatic resetting of any other one of the switches in any one of the other banks.

A better understanding of the invention made be had from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which;

FIG. I is an isometric view to show how the unique reset linkage of a multi-push button switching unit is employed between banks of push button switches in order to provide a resetting action for all of the push button switches shown in this figure.

FIG. 2 is an elevation view showing a switch in one of the banks of switches of FIG. 1 in a pushed in position while another switch in a different bank of switches is in its outer most, open reset position and FIG. 3 is a partial view of a portion of the reset linkage of FIG. 1 showing the direction through which the linkage is moved while it is performing the aforementioned switch resetting operation.

Any part with reference numeral shown-on the drawing that contains a prime mark is identical to and functions in the same manner as the same referenced numeral part that does not contain the prime mark.

Referring now to the drawing in detail there is shown in FIG. 1 the aforementioned unique switch resetting apparatus for employment between a number of parallel banks of push button switches 12, l4, 16.

The push button in each bank of switches 12, l4, 16 are shown in FIG. 1 protruding through associated walls 18, 20, 22 forming aperatures in a panel 24. This panel 24 can be merely a plate as shown or can be a plate as shown that is provided with hinges on its right vertical edge portion so that it can be mounted as a front door of an instrument casing which contains, for example, a precision indicating instrument.

A suitable number of screws 26, 28, 30, 32 and associated spacing rods e.g. 34, 36, 38 are employed to fixably connect the panel 24 with a rear support plate 40, 42. Each bank of switches 12, 14, 16 contain a rear mounting bracket 44, 46, 48 which is fixably connected to the support plates 40, 42.

The ear mounting bracket 44 is shown supporting e.g. stator blocks 50, 52, 54, 56 of switch bank 12. The rear mounting bracket 46 is shown supporting e.g. stator blocks 58, 60 of switch bank 14, and the rear mounting bracket 48 is shown supporting stator blocks 62, 64 of switch block 16.

Each stator block 50-62 contains a number of fixed contact terminals for example terminals 66, 68, of block 56. These terminals 66, 68, 70 are shown protruding upwardly from the block 56 so that the associated conductive contacting portions on a printed circuit board 72 can be engaged therewith.

Front mounting brackets 74, 76, 78 are employed to support the associated, for example, stator blocks 50-56; 58, 60 and 62, 64 and the other remaining blocks not shown, that are associated with these individual banks of switches 12, l4, 16.

Switch 80 contains a push button 84, a push pull slider bar 86 having a retaining notched out portion 88 and a cam shaped notched out portion 90. A slotted wall 92 is formed in the front mounting brackets 74 to accomodate the sliding push pull movement of the bar 86 therethrough.

A latch plate 94 having an inverted L-shaped slotted out wall 96 therein is shown in spaced apart relation with the slider bar 86.

FIG. 2 shows a spring retaining plate 98 protruding outwardly of the slider bar 86 being employed to prevent movement of the spring 100 to the left of the position shown and its other end in compressed contact with the front mounting brackets 74.

It can be seen that the parts employed in switch 82 are identical to those of switch 80 just described and are shown having the same numbers as switch 80 but with the addition of a prime after each numeral.

It can also be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 when any one of the push buttons in the single bank of switches, such as the switch 80 of bank 12, is pushed in it will compress the spring 100. This action will also cause the slider bar 86 to be moved to the right of its FIG. 2 position so that its cammed, notched out wall portion will engage the latch plate 94 and move it along its longitudinal axis in a direction toward switch 82.

This action initially will allow the portion of the latch 96 to be moved clear of the notched out wall portion 88' of the slider bar 86' and the then compressed spring to be free and to affect a return of the push button 82 to the left and into a reset position or in other words to an open slitch position.

Immediately after this action has taken place the notched out portion 90 will be engaged with the latch retaining notched out portion 88 in slider bar 86 to retain the switch 80 in a locked in closed position.

that in turn is mounted on the lower end of support plate 40.

The torsion spring 102 has one of its end portions 106 in engagement with an edge of the rear support plate 40 and another opposite one of its end portions 108 in contact with reset lever 110. The reset lever 110 is in turn connected in any suitable position by means of a screw 1 12 which connects a hollow embossed portion 114, in FIG. 3, of lever 110 to the reset shaft 104.

It can further be seen, when as push button 84 is pushed in, that (a) the cam shaped notched out wall portion 90 will-cause the latch plate 94 to be initially moved to the right of the position shown in FIG. 3 along with the inverted L-shaped slotted out wall portion 96 of the latch plate 94 and (b) the outer end portion 120 of the reset lever 100 that is engaged therewith to move shaft 104 in a ctclockwise direction. As this movement takes place spring return energy will be stored in the spring 102.

. When the latch plate 94 has moved past the cam shaped wall portion 90, shown in FIG. 2, and has dropped into the latch plate retaining slot 88 the previously mentioned energy that is stored in the spring 102 is released and the reset lever 110 and its integral outer end portion 120 is moved in a right to left direction as shown in FIG. 3. This last mention movement will en- 'able the latch plate 94 to be returned to the position it was in before the push button 80 was pushed in, in an inward direction.

When the aforementioned action has been completed the push button 80 will be prevented by the latch plate 94 from being returned to its original position as shown on FIG. 2 or in other words to a reset position.

It can likewise be seen that the pushing in of the push button 84 will cause any other push button for example 84' that is in a pushed in position to be reset or in other words moved outwardly by the spring force of its associated coil'springs for example spring 88'.

One of the unique features of the switch resetting apparatus is that when one of the push buttons such as button 84 that is in a first bank of switches 12 is pushed in, any otherpush button that is located in any of the remaining banks of switches, 14 or 16, will be automatically'reset or pushed outward to an open switch position.

The aforementioned action is possible because the previously referred to reset shaft 104 shown on FIGS. 1 and '2 has two additional identical reset levers 122 and 124. These reset levers 122, 124 are identically shaped and function on the same manner as the previously described lever 110. These levers 112 124 are also fixably mounted in spaced part relation on shaft 104 by means of the respective screw connections 126, 128 and the embossed portions 130, 132.

Each of the respective end portions 134, 136 of these additional reset levers 122, 124 are shown engaged with a different one of the inverted L-shaped slotted out wall portions 138, 140 of latch plates 142; 144.

It can therefore be seen that the pushing in of any one of the push button for example 84' 146 or 148, in any one of their associated banks of switches 12, 14, 16, will cause its associated latch plate 94 or 142 or 144 to contact its associated end portion 120, 134 or 136 of its reset lever 110, 122 or 124 and to thereby move its embossed portion 114 or 126 or 128 and the reset shaft 116 through a small arc and in a ctclockwise direction.

Since all of these reset levers 110, 122 and 124 are fixably mounted on shaft 104 for simultaneous movement as a single unit the motion of any one of these levers will cause the small mount of ctclock wise motion to occur in the other remaining reset levers 110 or 122 or 124.

If, for example, push button 148 in switch bank 16 was previously in a pushed in, non reset condition the aforementioned pushing in of the push button 84' in switch bank 12 will allow this switch 148 to move from a non reset position, or a position that is similar to the pushed in position of switch 82 in FIG. 2, to a reset position that is similar to that shown for the switch in FIG. 2.

As previously mentioned the energy stored in this spring 102 shown in FIG. 3 during the aforementioned ctclockwise rotation of the shaft 104 will allow the reset levers 142, 144 to return to their original free reset positions and lever 94 to be brought into contact with the retainer slot 88' on slider arm 86' of switch 84'.

From the aforementioned description it can be seen that the unique reset switching mechanism 10 provides a means for switching from any one of a plurality of pushed in switches in any one bank of a plurality of banks of switches to any other switch in any other remaining banks of switches by merely pushing in the last mentioned switch. This unique construction of the reset unit 10 eliminates the previously mentioned prior time delay practice of being required to push in separate reset push buttons in each bank of switches before it is possible to switch to a switch in another of these banks of switches.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or priviledge claimed are defined as follows:

1. An apparatus to reset any one of a number of switches in a multi-bank of push button switches the bks of which are in parallel relationship with one another, banks a separate latch bar extending along the length of each bank of switches, each one of said latch bars 'being connected to an associated bank of push button switches for movement along said associated bank of switches in one direction when any one of the associated switches is depressed, a reset member having a rotatable reset shaft the longitudinal axis of which is normal to an end portion of each of said banks of switches, separate reset levers each connected at one end for rotation with said shaft, each of said separate reset levers having an opposite end extending through a slot in an individually associated one of said latch bars for movement in one direction with said associated latch bar when anyone of said push buttons in any one of said banks of switches is depressed, a separate biasing means extending between each of said reset levers and a stationary element to store a biasing force therein while the movement of the reset lever occurs, said biasing means being further operable to release its biasing force and to effect the return movement of said reset lever and all of said latch bars in the opposite direction and to thereby effect the retention of the depressed switch in a set position and the release of all of said remaining switches to a reset position.

2. The multi-switch resetting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the reset shaft and the reset levers associated therewith are operably connected for rotary movement as a unit in an arcuate path with respect to said latch bars duringsaid first mentioned movement of any one of said latch bars along the bank of switches associated therewith.

3. The multi-switch resetting apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the reset shaft and the reset levers aswith a hollow boss portion which surrounds said shaft.

and which is provided with a threaded screw connection to adjustably fix the reset plates at different selected radial positions about said shaft.

5. The multi-switch resetting apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said biasing means is a torsion spring.

6. The multi-switch resetting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said biasing means is a torsion spring and wherein the torsion spring has a portion that is coiled about said reset shaft.

7. The multi-switch resetting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the latch bars are connected for slideable reciprocal forward and reverse movement along their respective bank of switches when anyone of the push buttons are depressed to a set position to thereby affect a resetting of any other depressed switch in any of the banks of switches during said forward movement of the latch bars and to affect a retention of said first mentioned depressed push button in said set position by its latch during the reverse movement of the latch bars. 

1. An apparatus to reset any one of a number of switches in a multi-bank of push button switches the bks of which are in parallel relationship with one another, banks a separate latch bar extending along the length of each bank of switches, each one of said latch bars being connected to an associated bank of push button switches for movement along said associated bank of switches in one direction when any one of the associated switches is depressed, a reset member having a rotatable reset shaft the longitudinal axis of which is normal to an end portion of each of said banks of switches, separate reset levers each connected at one end for rotation with said shaft, each of said separate reset levers having an opposite end extending through a slot in an individually associated one of said latch bars for movement in one direction with said associated latch bar when any one of said push buttons in any one of said banks of switches is depressed, a separate biasing means extending between each of said reset levers and a stationary element to store a biasing force therein while the movement of the reset lever occurs, said biasing means being further operable to release its biasing force and to effect the return movement of said reset lever and all of said latch bars in the opposite direction and to thereby effect the retention of the depressed switch in a set position and the release of all of said remaining switches to a reset position.
 2. The multi-switch resetting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the reset shaft and the reset levers associated therewith are operably connected for rotary movement as a unit in an arcuate path with respect to said latch bars during said first mentioned movement of any one of said latch bars along the bank of switches associated therewith.
 3. The multi-switch resetting apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the reset shaft and the reset levers associated therewith are operably connected for rotary movement as a unit in an arcuate path with respect to said latch bars during said first and second mentioned movement of any one of said latch bars along the bank of switches associated therewith.
 4. The multi-switch resetting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said reset plates are provided with a hollow boss portion which surrounds said shaft and which is provided with a threaded screw connection to adjustably fix the reset plates at different selected radial positions about said shaft.
 5. The multi-switch resetting apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said biasing means is a torsion spring.
 6. The multi-switch resetting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said biasing means is a torsion spring and wherein the torsion spring has a portion that is coiled about said reset shaft.
 7. The multi-switch resetting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the latch bars are connected for slideable reciprocal forward and reverse movement along their respective bank of switches when anyone of the push buttons are depressed to a set position to thereby affect a resetting of any other depressed switch in any of the banks of switches during said forward movement of the latch bars and to affect a retention of said first mentioned depressed push button in said set position by its latch during the reverse movement of the latch bars. 